Fake It 'Til You Break It

“It’s freezing!” I yell with a laugh.

Nico chuckles and I swim toward where he’s sitting on a moss-covered flat plain, half his torso out of the water, and dripping wet.

His hair is a mess on his head, so once I’m where I can put my knees on a rock, I squeeze between his legs and reach up to smooth it out.

One little curl keeps falling in his face, so I hold it back.

My chest is even with his face in this position, so he drops his chin on my breastbone and stares up at me.

“You’ve got goosebumps.” His eyes fall to my arms, hands coming up to wrap around them, sliding up and down and creating twice as many as before. “That got anything to do with the water?” he rasps.

I can’t answer him, though.

I’m stuck.

I stare at his mouth, only inches from my breasts, taking in nothing but the sensation of having so much of his skin on mine.

I could reach up and untie my top, and without direction he’d know what to do.

My nipples harden and his focus moves directly to the proof.

His grip tightens, his fingertips biting into me like I want his teeth to.

“D...” He licks his lips, reluctantly dragging his gaze back to mine.

Suddenly I’m tugged back, splashing into the water again.

I come up laughing and shove Carley away.

Krista is next to jump, popping up and swimming to the left of us to climb out the one shallow spot at the Cape.

We love this place and come here at least once a week during the summer.

Parking is down at the bottom with built-in barbecues and picnic tables, small games and things all around. It’s not very large, only around ten carloads can fit in the area, so when we come, we leave before the sun even rises.

It’s beautiful and quiet, green and clean, nothing but the sounds of people having a good time or the mini waterfalls that filter through the rocks and the small stream it all leads to.

“Yo!” Trent comes around the corner, tongs in one hand, towel for his girl in the other. He tosses it at her and she drapes it over her shoulder. “Foods ready.”

“Yes!” Krista smiles with a shout, wringing her hair. “And now that Demi can pretend her vagina is wet from the water, let’s be quick about eating so we can go kick these people’s ass playing volleyball!”

“Oh my god!” I slap the water, but she only grins wider.

“Did they even invite us to play?” Macy climbs out.

“No, but they have six and we have six. They’ll let us.” Krista starts to walk away, but jerks to a stop and adds, “Carley, don’t climb out until Demi does or Nico will never let her go.”

I laugh, looking to Nico who finally drags himself to his feet, as if he planned to do just that.

“That’s it, I’m gonna fuck with Trent’s ass now,” Nico mumbles as he passes Krista.

“Good, do it. He’s all tense today, loosen him up for me, please.” She looks to us, fighting a laugh, and then follows after him.

We spend the rest of the afternoon playing volleyball with the random people who set up beside us, and dip in the water to cool off here and there.

It takes longer to clean up than it did to set up and by the time we manage to head home, it’s starting to get dark out, and everyone is hungry again, so we stop at a small taqueria for dinner.

They sit us around a large table, and my phone rings the second I get seated, my mom’s name flashing across the screen.

I hesitate a moment, then Nico taps my shoulder, nodding to the screen.

With a sigh, I answer and walk a few steps away for some privacy.

“Hey, Mom.”

“Hey, sweetie.”

Sweetie? I frown. “What’s up?”

“I was calling to see if you were home, I’m about twenty minutes out. I thought I could bring home dinner.”

It’s already after eight-thirty, later than I would normally eat, so I don’t tell her I’ve just sat down to. “I’m not home right now, I’m with the girls and we already ate, but thanks.”

“Oh, well, in that case maybe I’ll stop for a salad at the club.” The ding of her car door being opened lets me know she was betting on my answer and is already stepping out. “So... your dad called today.”

Ah! That’s what the ‘sweetie’ was for.

“Why’d he call you? I just texted him this morning.”

“You did?” she asks, seemingly surprised.

It’s as if she convinces herself he and I speak as little as her and I do.

“So what did he say?” I get us back on track.

“Oh, he mentioned coming into town next week, he wants to have dinner.” She pauses and I wait, knowing more is coming. “You’ll let me know if he mentions the specifics to you, I know he had to cancel his last trip last minute?”